Kuala Lumpur: The Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) cannot be totally disabled from the aircraft as it goes in standby mode much like a telephone on flight mode.
That is why, despite being turned off, satellites could still “ping” the ACARS on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 after it went off-radar.
Pilots use ACARS on a normal day only to receive short messages and weather reports, or to send short massages.
They can even use a three-step selection process which can alert air traffic controllers of any emergency or hijacking, as long as there is battery life.
According to a commercial airline Boeing 777 pilot who requested anonymity, ACARS is a system that works on Very High Frequency (VHF) and Satellite Communication (SATCOMM).
“It is basically like an SMS, which we use to send data to and receive data from the ground. What happens is that when you power up, ACARS will establish communication with the satellite.
“Pilots can’t (totally) disable the communication because every aircraft will have a unique code with the satellite. You use SATCOMM when the VHF communication is out of range.
“So you can turn off the ACARS but not the connection, that is why you have the ‘ping’ indicating you have a connection and also the aircraft is flying,” he said, adding that the network connection will still be present.
He added that it is only when the plane is powered up or flying that the ‘ping’ is established but it would be at different locations since the aircraft is moving, which would explain the pings or handshakes of MH370.
“ACARS is a communication system, not a Global Positioning System (GPS); it does not give positions but only transfer messages.
19/03/14 Fazleena Aziz/New Strait Times
